Medical conditions may be treated through the application of electrical stimulation. For example, Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) involves driving an electrical current into particular regions of the spinal cord to induce analgesia in persons with chronic pain. SCS may also generate paresthesia, which is a subjective sensation of numbness or tingling in a region of the body associated with the stimulated spinal cord region. Paresthesia can mask the transmission of chronic pain sensations from the afflicted regions of the body to the brain, thereby providing pain relief to the patient.
Additionally, electrical stimulation of the dorsal root and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is often used at the lumbar spinal levels for the treatment of chronic pain of the back and lower limbs. In typical treatment, each lead is inserted through the skin, fat, and muscle layers into the epidural space above the spinal cord. The leads are then steered outwards through the neural foramen while targeting an epidural placement on the DRG corresponding to the region of pain. This procedure is typically performed with up to four lead placements in the lumbar spinal levels.
In order to target pain in the neck and upper limbs, placement of epidural leads near DRG at the cervical levels is required. However, placing leads at this anatomical location is substantially more difficult due to several factors. Firstly, the spinal foramen opening at the cervical layer is narrower than that of the lumbar/thoracic levels, thus increasing the risk of tissue damage during electrode placement or migration. Secondly, the cervical region is typically comprised of less soft tissue, and thus provides complication to the surgical approach, including decreased opportunities for lead fixation. Finally, due to the relatively high amount of motion of the cervical spine relative to the lumbar/thoracic spine, there is a higher risk of lead migration, neural tissue damage, and loss of therapeutic efficacy.
As such, there is a need for paddle leads deployable from a minimally invasive surgical approach. It is with these observations in mind, among others, that various aspects of the present disclosure were conceived and developed.
As such, there is a need for improved devices and techniques for electrical stimulation of the dorsal root and DRG, particularly in the cervical and/or thoracic region. The present disclosure addresses these and other needs.